Content

1. From Deep Tech to Knowledge Power: India’s Path to Strategic Autonomy
2. The Gift of Athena: Building India as a Knowledge Power

From Deep Tech to Knowledge Power: India’s Path to Strategic Autonomy

Why in News ?

• India’s deep-tech ambitions — in AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, green tech — cannot be realised through government efforts alone.
• National leadership emphasises Aatmanirbharta in frontier technologies as a pillar of national security and strategic autonomy.
• Greater private sector participation, higher R&D spending, and whole-of-nation coordination are critical for success.

Relevance :

• GS Paper 3: Science & Technology, Industrial Policy, R&D, Innovation Systems, Indigenisation.
• GS Paper 2: Governance, Institutional Reform, Public–Private Partnerships, Policy Incentives.

Practice Question :

• India aims to become a global leader in deep technology and knowledge-based innovation. Critically examine the role of government, private sector, and institutional networks in achieving this vision. Suggest reforms required to bridge the R&D and innovation gap.(250 Words)

Understanding Deep Tech

• Definition: Advanced scientific and engineering innovations with long gestation periods and transformative impact.
  • Examples: AI, Quantum Computing, Semiconductors, Green Hydrogen, Biotechnology, Space Tech, Advanced Materials.
• Significance:
  • Drives economic competitiveness in Industry 5.0.
  • Underpins national security and strategic autonomy.
  • Enables dual-use innovations for civil and defence applications.

India’s Deep-Tech Vision

• Target Year: 2035 → Among Top 5 global deep-tech powers.
• Key Initiatives:
  • India Semiconductor Mission (2022): $10B incentives for chip fabs.
  • IndiaAI Mission (2024): ₹10,300 crore for foundational AI ecosystem.
  • Anusandhan National Research Foundation (NRF): ₹50,000 crore for academia–industry research.
  • Deep-Tech Fund of Funds (2025): ₹10,000 crore to support deep-tech startups.
• Vision: Move from “import and integrate” to “innovate and export”.

India’s R&D Investment Gap

•  
• India’s private R&D ≈ $5B, while NVIDIA/Intel spend $7–10B each annually.
• Gap highlights the need for private sector scaling.

Structural Challenges

1. Low Private Sector R&D: Reliance on public labs (CSIR, DRDO, ISRO); corporate risk aversion.
2. Weak Academia–Industry Linkages: Fragmented collaboration; limited tech transfer.
3. Limited Deep-Tech Venture Capital: Deep-tech startups < 1% of India’s 1 lakh+ startups (NASSCOM 2024).
4. Talent Constraints: ~2.5 lakh STEM PhDs/year; few in quantum, AI hardware, chip design.
5. Import Dependence: Solar modules 80%, inverters 60%, battery cells 100%, lithium & cobalt ~70% imports (mostly China).

Sectoral Overview

Quantum Computing

• India’s first quantum computer: 25-qubit (developmental).
• Global benchmark: IBM Kookaburra → 1,536-qubit multi-chip (2025).
• Significant capacity and commercialisation gap.

Artificial Intelligence

• Vast linguistic datasets, but no global-standard native LLM.
• Minor efforts (Bhashini, BharatGPT) exist but are limited in scale and efficiency.

Semiconductors

• $10B India Semiconductor Mission launched; no operational commercial fab yet.
• Proposals: Micron (assembly), Tata (Gujarat fab in progress).
• Challenges: IP access, advanced lithography dependency.

Renewable Energy

• 50% of installed power capacity (2025) from renewables.
• Import dependency: solar 80%, battery cells 100%.
• Critical minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel) almost entirely imported.

Government Role: Successes & Limits

Achievements:

• National missions with large funding pools.
  • Startup incentives: iDEX, Startup India, PLI schemes.
  • Institutions: IN-SPACe, NRF, IndiaAI.

Limits:

• Fiscal constraints limit high-end R&D funding.
  • Public sector research remains bureaucratic, risk-averse.
  • Slow technology diffusion and commercialisation.

Case for Private Sector Leadership

• Global experience: private-led innovation drives breakthroughs (US, China, South Korea, Israel).
• India needs:
  • Corporate R&D allocation ≥2–3% of revenue (current <0.5%).
  • Deep-tech venture funds and corporate labs.
  • Academia-industry partnerships (IITs, IISc, DRDO, ISRO).
  • Tax incentives and strong IP protection.

Policy & Ecosystem Reforms Needed

1. Raise national R&D to 1.5% of GDP by 2030.
2. Triple private sector R&D share via grants and incentives.
3. Swiftly implement Anusandhan NRF to link academia–industry.
4. Establish Deep-Tech Manufacturing Zones with shared labs.
5. Simplify patent and tech licensing systems.
6. Secure critical minerals (lithium, cobalt) via global alliances.
7. Develop 100 new Deep–Tech Centres of Excellence for STEM talent.

Global Benchmarks

• US (DARPA): Government funds high-risk research; private industry commercialises.
• China: 70% R&D from corporates; guided by 5-year plans.
• South Korea: Chaebol-public institute collaborations.
• Israel: Military-industry innovation loop (e.g., Iron Dome).

Model: “Public seed – private scale” integrating state vision with corporate execution.

Strategic Implications

• Deep tech defines 21st-century power hierarchy → countries that design and innovate dominate.
• Dependence on foreign tech undermines: data sovereignty, cybersecurity, defence autonomy, energy resilience.
• Deep tech is existential for Viksit Bharat 2047, not a luxury.

Takeaway

• Core Thesis: India’s deep-tech revolution cannot rely on government alone; private sector investment and innovation are essential.
• Economic Reality: $15B vs. $600B (China), $1T (US) → urgent scaling needed.
• Strategic Imperative: Without private push, India risks being an “also-ran” in global tech.
• Way Forward: Whole-of-nation effort: Government (policy), Industry (execution), Academia (innovation).

The Gift of Athena: Building India as a Knowledge Power

Why in News ?

• The discussion is inspired by Joel Mokyr’s The Gifts of Athena and The Lever of Riches, which explore how knowledge drives economic and technological transformation.
• India’s quest to become a knowledge power requires understanding the interplay between propositional (how things work) and prescriptive knowledge (how to apply knowledge).
• This highlights gaps in India’s knowledge systems, particularly integration of science, engineering, and productive application.

Relevance :

• GS 3: Science & Technology, Innovation Systems, R&D, Industrial Policy, Knowledge Economy.
• GS 2: Governance, Institutional Reforms, Public–Private Partnerships, Policy Incentives.

Practice Question :

• Drawing on the framework of knowledge economies, critically analyse India’s challenges and opportunities in becoming a global knowledge power. Suggest institutional and policy measures to create productive feedback loops between research and industry.(250 Words)

Understanding Knowledge Economies

• Definition: Economies where innovation, knowledge creation, and diffusion are central drivers of productivity, growth, and technological leadership.
• Types of Knowledge (Mokyr):
  • Propositional Knowledge: Understanding principles, laws of nature, scientific facts.
  • Prescriptive Knowledge: Techniques and methods to apply principles to create inventions, tools, and technologies.
• Key Takeaway: Necessity alone does not drive innovation; it requires knowledge as a midwife to convert needs into productive inventions.

Mokyr’s Thesis on Industrial Revolution

Critical Factors for sustained innovation:

• Accumulation and interaction of propositional and prescriptive knowledge.
  • Elite culture with scientific temperament embedded in institutions, networks, and epistemic norms.
  • Diffusion mechanisms: Institutions, social conditions, and cross-border communication (e.g., trans-European “republic of letters”).

Paradoxical conditions:

• Political fragmentation allowed ideas to circulate freely.
  • Social and institutional conditions spot talent and allow it to flourish.

Contrast with India:

• India historically had political fragmentation and intellectual vibrancy, with widespread dissemination of texts and knowledge networks.
  • Despite this, India did not experience an industrial revolution, highlighting missing links in productive feedback loops between science and application.

Lessons for India’s Knowledge Economy

Elite Culture Matters:

• Innovation requires a culture of curiosity, scientific temperament, and openness in leadership and institutions.
  • Individual genius is insufficient; institutional and networked support is critical.

Integration of Knowledge Types:

• India must bridge the gap between scientific discovery (propositional) and industrial/technological application (prescriptive).

Institutional Networks:

• Need robust networks for diffusion of ideas, collaboration between academia, industry, and public research institutions.

Trans-Political Knowledge Sharing:

• India’s historic “republic of letters” model of open, cross-regional intellectual exchange can be leveraged to foster modern innovation ecosystems.

State Role vs. Market Role:

• Mokyr downplays state intervention in sustained innovation.
  • Contemporary examples (China, EU) show state-led policies can complement elite and private innovation networks.

Structural Gaps in India’s Knowledge Systems

• Weak integration of science, engineering, and industrial production.
• Limited culture of risk-taking, experimentation, and failure tolerance in institutions.
• R&D intensity: ~0.65% of GDP, far below advanced economies (US 3.4%, China 2.4%).
• Low private-sector participation in deep-tech innovation (~30% of India’s total R&D).
• Historical institutions did not create sufficient mechanisms for scaling knowledge into industrial output.

Contemporary Implications

Innovation Ecosystem Building:

• Develop institutions that encourage translational research.
  • Promote startups and tech ventures that apply scientific knowledge.

Policy Design:

• Incentivise private sector participation in R&D.
  • Support centres of excellence, collaborative labs, and tech parks.

Human Capital:

• Cultivate scientific literacy, curiosity, and experimentation culture among elites and students.
  • Encourage interdisciplinary research bridging STEM, design, and business applications.

Global Learning:

• Leverage lessons from European industrialization, US DARPA model, and Chinese state-private innovation partnerships.

Strategic Takeaways

• Core Takeaway: Knowledge power arises not from raw resources or necessity alone but from sustained accumulation, diffusion, and institutional application of knowledge.
• India’s Path Forward:
  • Create productive feedback loops between research and industry.
  • Foster elite and institutional culture valuing curiosity, experimentation, and risk-taking.
  • Leverage historical intellectual networks to build modern innovation ecosystems.
• Vision: By integrating Mokyr’s principles with modern policy and market mechanisms, India can emerge as a global knowledge power and drive long-term technological sovereignty.